New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-13
THE CALAMITY IN ILLINOIS.
CARING KINDLY FOR THE WOUNDED.
SEARCHING AMONG THE BODIES OF THE
DEAD.

THREE BODIES RECOGNIZED by RELATIvEs-THE
WORK OF RoBBERs-sToRY OF THE RELIEF
PARTY FROM CHATswoRTH.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRBUSE.I
CHATswORTH. Ill., Aug. ~. 1t a sad sight
that the early disclosed to the few pedestrians
who passed down he silent and deserted CT the
village OF Chatsworth this morning. Thrty-6ye
human be'nss lay wri:ning IN agony, some of them
ind eed death All through the dreaTv dniI hit
hours tn } had lain upon the beds which the good
people OF Chatsworth had charitably placed at the
disposal OF the sufferers. loo much praise cannot be
given TO the eoI e OF this locality Tor their self sacri
flee and devotion. But Tor them there would have
been many more names to swell the already trightlul
catalogue of the dead. Up to o'clock this morn ne
there only three additional idenufcltions. The
bodies OF John Zeter, of Pekin ILL.,, molder, age
thirty-siX; Mrs. Blandn. of narpers Corners, near
Peoria, aud Mrs II. &. McCluhe, of Keitbsburg, ILL.,,
recoe ni2ed by friends. IL nearly midnight
when Zc tier was identified. row OF anxious, sad
faced people. and women stood in n line in the
feight-housc OF the Toledo Peoria and Western Ra l.
war, while passed. by a row of maugled cOrpses
and lifting the tacc OF each he passed along, held
lantern close the face of each of the corpscs 1t
was a series of irightrully mutated faces, in most
instances battered beyond recognition, that the rays
OF the lantern DISCLOSED 10 yiew Nobody was deDti-
ted until the white cloth raised from the form OF
n man. disclosing facc trightfully mu.ated The
cheekbOne IA each side were crushed until they
actually laid together spe by side stout man
stepped forward. and stcopng down until one elbow
rested upon his knee peered long and earnestly into
the dead mans face. teen he put his hand into the
ragged and bloody waistcoat and took from it
watch, which still tuck ng He next thrust his
hand into the breast pocket and drew from it num-
ber OF cards.
:" 1t is poor John," he murmured, and he dropped
his knees and drew his hand hastily across his
eyes.
Then he tenderly covered this dead mans body and
disappeared to make arrangements tor the removal
OF his friends body
One OF the most horrible features of the calamity is
the tact that there ia possibility of its being the
sult of foul play and not of accident. Last night
AMI this morning the rumor gained ground that the
whole thing the work ot train robbers A TRIB-
UNE correspondent, WIN visited the wreck, heard
many hints to this effect from farmers and other
people living in the nelghorEood. NheL asked tor y
statement of facts in their possession. however, they
appeared 10 get frightened and illing TO
anything before newspaper man. The tact "a well
established that very short time before the disaster
occurred. freight tram had passed over the bridge
ana u then in sound condition. Ii is also said
that n onrren his watch and valuables 10 a
person Who. moment after the accident occurred,
stood looking on, unmoyed by the suderings OF bis
fellow creatures 1t Is claimed that the wretch
snatehed the watch from the dying mans hands and
rushed away Another man is said to have approached
woman who dying bunk near the wreck
and snatched diam ond ring from her finger. Beyond
all GOubt, whether the train wrecked tor the pur
pose of plumber not, robbery carried at the
wrc * extensive scale, before the people ot
Chatsw orth summoned to the rescue. The place
where the disaster occurred IS peculiarly tted Tor the
deeds OF tram wreck,rs.
The hour at which 1t visited by THE TRIBUNE
corresponding was at the time when :he last ray OF
twilight made the ruins aDd their surroundings barely
discrrnibe. 1t lovely li;tlc corner OF dsused
country bywsy. Fields OF waved every side
close mp the cu,ert and few trees ided their
shade to the last thckening gloom. 1t was u lovely
peaceful scene. except the frighttul botch that
dshgurod IL. The ruins Of the train were nothing
Than mass u splinterel wood and shattered
metal while stacks OF torn gsrments. blood-staned
lnen shattered sstchels and broken trunks
tered around in the green hedgerovs. Blood spashes
dyed the grass where, ii was sodden and trampled
under oot.
Among the wounded was John McMeister OF Peoria.
lie but slightly injured although he sat in the
thrd car. which perhaps the most badly damaged
Of the train II, talked cheeriuIly.
4" was sIit n in the front seat" he said. " when
the shock occurred. thought at first the train
derailed, but soon found it was worse than that.
Wa. hurled with great violence into the conner in
which the stove stood. while the stove thrown
forward, pnning my leg to the ground. In instant
all was darkness, while cries and means rang out
around in all directions. | soon became aware
that two who bad en- sitting behind me had
had been up and hurled along with them into
the corner where lay. | iammod in there in
sone inconceyable way. aud felt the hot bood
pouring from their wounds and streaming my
iaos. | cried out Tor help and thought, although
may have been mistaken, that there an hour a1d
a half before | Was reached. heavy spraln Is all
suffered"
f. 1. Cook, VINO ia OF the coroner's jury, said !:
" Il was about = O'Clock when the people of Chats
worth called together by the tolIng OF the fire
Al. tb,ra and yl,..,
learned the truth went to the scene OF the
wreck. horrible sight presented itself to US 10 put
II in words. nuGdI ed- OF human beings struggling 10
tear themselves from internal trap. From the
cries one would think he stood on some bloody battle
ground. Blood was everywhere and the means OF the
Wounded and dying made the night hideous. got
an ax broke into of the The hrst object
which me. my sight was largo woman with her head
completely torn from her body. I was sickened ana
horried. Many of tue men became unnerved and
could do nothing, but struggled and worked along
a. best | could. One man whose wle escaped but
whose baby was saved told me an old woman who ap-
parentiy belonged 10 the neghbOrt ood had taken
pos session of the latter and he has tough struggle
to recover it, lie said that his wife WAS lying at tho
far end OF the car. while the infant wns safe,
sittinp about midway in tho oeLtre of the aisle
THE DEAD.
Tho list Of p,rsons killed so far as ascerained is rs
follows
Adams Pearl, Peoria McCllntOck. MISS Peoria
Alien iii.. William Peoria Mcclure. Mrs III Is. Peoria
Eva. Fort Nc Evoy, Mrs Mary, Peoria
Iowa Meek, Miss Jessie. Eureka Ill
Alter. MrsNancy FortMadisOnI Meek, Mra EUREKA
NJ nne Fort Madison Miller MIA feoia
Andrews Mrs Pearl, Peoria Morley, MISS. fcora , -,
ft,u Mis-. Peoria Moore J A. Jacksonvlle Ill
n.ii Mrs William Peoria Murphy. Mrs John. Peoria
Uand,u Mrs Peoria Murphy, Rosa. Peoria
uair Jnmr, Eureka Ill Murphy, John, Peoria
Braty. J, Peoria mccarthy, Ntlhur IeoIbs
prees, Mrs y ID Pateer II. Bushnell, Ill
pree.. " Peoria 20 Mamie Peoria
C,rseI Matte. nrto Ill Prahm. Phcna. Peoria
Crn..welI Kanka tleorge w ashington, Ill
zee mi ~ - Press MrsPey ton. W ashington
Clark.MrsR II, ,Richtown. Ohio PURIFY, MI Peotm
Craig, William, cuba, Ill Puinoy' Mts fco,~
Carr,ither. Emelne iyans III Reagan William NJ Peoria
crcss Elizaheth Peori. Regin, N. Bingh tmton. n Y
Cnns ~ NJ Gale,burg III chards d. Franklin. Y Ii
coonar Mrs PokIn iii Saulsbury, Mrs Ida Peoria
csstie " m Pssn iii j. Brinheld, Ill
cI,y Mrs / A Fureka slnde. Mrs. Peoria
Clay, J NJ, Eureka Slegle, liy snn son h,oAuA
clay, MAlaa Eureka smith george -, IeoriA ,,,o
Dahkle. Captain. Peoria smith' Mrs mei'in' "o~